A Trainer's Fear
by WiiFan2009
Summary: An encounter with Evaltal has left Ash emotionally scarred, and it culminates in a nightmare. Can Serena banish the darkness in his mind?


A/N: Well here it is, the sequel to A Trainer's Guilt. I hope this turned out well. A word of caution, this oneshot leans a little towards the M side of T-rated fics, so viewer discretion is advised. Enjoy. Also, I've made an announcement on my profile, so anyone who follows this or any of my other stories should check it out.

A Trainer's Fear

The beautiful scenery of the Kalos region looked like a blur of colors as it passed by the train that our heroes were on. They had just helped Diancie save the world from Evaltal, and after a close shave with the Pokemon of Destruction, were on their way to Ash's next gym battle. Serena noticed that Ash was clutching his partner pokemon more tightly than usual, and although he didn't seem quite down, he wasn't expressing the happy vibrant aura that she could define as the love of her life. Serena had a hunch on what was causing his change of mood and wanted to talk to him about it, but hesitated to do so since Clemont and Bonnie were still present. The young Gym Leader, as though reading her mind, got up and said "Bonnie, why don't we go explore the train a little bit? I'm sure some of the other passengers would be willing to show you some cute Pokemon…"

"YIPPEE-YAY!" The young girl screeched and ran off, causing Clemont to tiredly chase after her.

_Finally we're alone; now to see if I'm right. Well, here goes nothing…_ She started by placing her hand on Ash's wrist and rubbing her thumb on his skin, causing him to look at her in surprise and comfort. "Is something wrong Ash? You seem a little tense…"

Ash faked a smile so as to not worry his girlfriend. "I'm alright, Serena; just been a long day is all."

Serena frowned; she knew the difference between Ash's real smiles and his white lie smiles. She moved her hand from his wrist to grab his hand that was grasping Pikachu. "Sweetie, you know that you can talk to me about anything, right? I won't judge you, or think any less of you if that's what you're afraid of…"

Ash shyly smiled at her, grateful for her thoughtfulness. "I know you wouldn't Serena. The thing is…" He looked down at his partner, an anxious expression written on his face. "I'm just not ready to talk about it right now. We just got back from saving a mystical Pokemon Princess from numerous hunters and the Pokemon of Destruction itself. It's only natural that we're all a little on-edge." Ash looked into her eyes and gripped her hand tighter as she used her other hand to rub his back in comfort. "But once I'm ready, I'll come talk to you about it, okay Serena?"

Serena looked worried, but knew that trying to prod Ash now would only annoy him, so she let it drop for the time being and settled for the next-best thing; turning Ash's face towards her and kissing him, relaxing him and causing him to cease his remaining grip on Pikachu. Pikachu smiled and scurried off to find Bonnie and Clement, leaving his master and Serena to their own devices. Ash moved his hands to cradle Serena's face, and she did the same for him. Blushing furiously, they continued their make-out session, their battling tongues a sharp contrast to the soft beauty of the scenery that was passing by their train.

**XXX**

They arrived at the Pokemon Center late; Bonnie was already snoozing and Clemont took her to bed. The young couple had said their goodnights and gone off to their separate rooms. Serena was admiring her new pink nightgown that was zippered in the middle that she had bought on their journey in the mirror. Serena smiled as she twirled in her new purchase, loving how she looked in the mirror. _I bet Ash would love seeing me in this!_ The young girl thought, then frowned, thinking back to their interaction on the train. She couldn't help but feel guilty for leaving the subject alone, despite her conviction that prodding him would only have made it worse. She slid into bed, an anxious feeling in her heart. "I just hope I'm wrong…"

The yellow mouse Pokemon was sleeping happily, dreaming of battles, when it was roused from its slumber by a fall from its bed. "Pii-ka…" he moaned, irritated that his dream was interrupted. He looked up, and saw the source of the disturbance; his trainer was turning left and right, which the Pokemon thought as strange since Ash was always a heavy sleeper. Growing worried, Pikachu used a light Thundershock attack. Unfortunately, Ash had developed immunity to electric attacks over the years, so it had no effect. Pikachu thought carefully until a light bulb went off in his head, and raced across the hall to an adjacent door.

**XXX**

"PIKA! PIKA!"

The cries of an all too familiar Pokemon roused Serena from her blissful slumber. _What does Pikachu want at this time of night?_ Serena wondered as she went to open the door. She rubbed one eye and asked groggily "What is it Pikachu? It's 1 in the morning…" She watched as Pikachu pantomimed Ash snoozing and rolling in bed. Were it not so serious, she would have found this comical, but her eyes widened in understanding. Without another word, she raced across the hall to Ash's room. _Oh, what was I thinking, leaving him alone?!_

What she saw nearly brought tears to her eyes; Ash had a grimace on his face, turning left and right nonstop, groaning every few seconds. _A nightmare, just like the last time something like this happened._ Shoving the memory out of her thoughts, she kneeled on the mattress and used her hand to gently shake him awake. "Ash, Sweetie wake up. It's just a dream. Wake up, please!"

Finally, Ash opened his eyes and sat up straight, gasping for breath and trying to determine his surroundings. Serena wasted no time in embracing her boyfriend, hoping that her touch would calm him down. It worked; within a few moments Ash stopped gasping and looked into the deep blue orbs that always seemed to calm him down. "Se…Serena?"

"Ash…" she started, rubbing his back for comfort. "Are…Are you okay?" She asked him, panicking about his emotional well-being. "Y…Yeah S…Serena" Ash stuttered shakily.

She sighed, and continued "This is what I was afraid of. You held everything in until it exploded in the form of a nightmare, and now you're a mess." She frowned and finished "So please sweetie, tell me what's been bothering you, before this escalates into something worse!" Serena couldn't help but cry at the current situation, tears streaming down her cheeks. _Just great Serena, the last thing he needs to see is you blubbering. You need to be STRONG for him!_ As she worked to wipe away her tears, Ash winced at her desperate plea and bowed his head in defeat; she was right and he needed to get it off his chest before his health deteriorated any more than it already did. Before he could say anything however, Serena took his hand and said sweetly "Come on, let's get a change of scenery." Ash let his girlfriend tug him in the direction of her room, blushing at the contact of their intertwined hands. Eventually they reached her bed, and she let go of his hand to crawl onto and lay down on the mattress. She patted the space next to her, successfully inviting her boyfriend to lie down next to her.

A few moments of silence passed, blue and brown eyes glancing at each other. Finally, it was Ash who broke the silence. "I was dreaming about our close shave with Evaltal." He shivered, then calmed down when Serena squeezed his hand. "It was like before, but this time you were turned to stone too, and there wasn't anything I could do to stop it." Tears leaked from his eyes as he finished "I felt so powerless, and I hated myself for it."

Serena frowned in worry, and responded by cupping his cheek in her palm. "Ash, I can't imagine how traumatic that must have been for you. But that bad dream was just that; a dream. It's not real; I'm here, next to you and safe and sound. There's no need to cry, sweetie." Blushing, she undid part of the zipper around her nightgown, and grabbed his hand, sliding it under the upper part of her nightgown, and resting his hand against her skin between her breasts. Blushing, yet keeping her voice steady, she continued "You feel that Ash? That's my heart, and it's beating. It beats for you, and it always will." Ash focused on feeling Serena's heartbeat, feeling his troubles disappear for a bit as the comforting beat overtook his senses. This caused him to smile, which made Serena smile. She slipped her other hand under his shirt and rested it on his chest, finishing "just like I know your heart beats for me." Tears leaked from his eyes as he removed his hand from her and wrapped his arms around her waist, burying his head where his hand was previously. Serena smiled and cradled his head in her free hand while she let her other hand continue to rest against her boyfriend's heart, enjoying the newfound calm. Turning his head to look at her, she said "It's late; we should get you to bed. You wanna stay here tonight? You look like you could use a sleeping buddy right now."

"…I've got no complaints" Ash yawned as he snuggled into her, losing himself in the comfort of her heartbeat. "Thanks…for being here Serena. I love you." Serena smiled, closing her eyes as she absent-mindedly rubbed his back, letting the rhythmic motion lull her to sleep. "I love you too, sweetie."


End file.
